Weft thread cutting device for shuttleless looms



g- 3, 1965 v. M. J. ANCET ETAL 3,198,216

WEFT THREAD CUTTING DEVICE FOR SHUTTLELESS LOOMS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July 19, 1963 W \Mmw azucafl BY X W ATTORNEXG 3, 1965 v. M- J- ANCET ETAL 3,198,216

WEFT THREAD CUTTING DEVICE FOR SHUTTLELESS LOOMS Filed July 19, 1963 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEI? United States Patent M 3,198,216 WEFT THREAD CUTTING DEVICE FOR SHUTTLELESS ROOMS Victor Marie Joseph Ancet and Marius, known as Marcel,

Fayolle, Lyon, France, assignors to Brelic International Inc., Panama City, Panama, a corporation of Panama Filed July 19, 1963, Ser. No. 296,274 Claims priority, application France, July 25, 1962,

42,775, Patent 1,348,370 3 Claims. (Cl. 139--302) The present invention relates to the cutting of the ends of the weft threads along the edges of a fabric on a Weaving loom and more particularly on a shuttleless loom of the kind in which the successive wefts are inserted into the shed from a stationary weft thread supply by a weft-inserting member movable across the loom.

It is known to out these ends by means of a circular cutter co-acting with a roller. But the cutting edge of the circular cutter becomes rapidly blunt and has therefore to be frequently re-sharpened during normal operation of the loom.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a severingdevice which will be effective during a very long time.

In accordance with the present invention the free ends of the weft threads of a fabric are severed by being crushed between a non-cutting edge and a hard surface.

. According to another feature of the present invention, in order to reduce the pressure which is required for severing the threads in a single operation, the latter are caused to pass repeatedly between the non-cutting edge and the hard surface.

The invention further concerns a weft thread severing device comprising a hard surface on which the threads to be severed are caused to pass during the advance of the fabric on the loom, a disc having a non-cutting edge of small width, .and means to pass the said disc onto the said hard surface in order to crush the said threads with a sufficient pressure to sever them.

In an embodiment the hard surface is in the form of a roller and means are provided to oscillate this roller so as to cause the weft thread ends to pass repeatedly between the roller and the crushing disc. In another embodiment the hard surface is in the form of a stationary table and the disc is carried by a support having a reciprocating movement parallel to the edge of the fabric in order to cause the disc to roll to and fro on the table and to crush repeatedly the weft thread ends to be severed.

'In the annexed drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a portion of a shuttleless loom provided with a severing device according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a corresponding diagrammatical side view with parts in section along line IIII of FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a large scale view-showing the operation of the crushing disc.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are explanatory sketches which show respectively in plan view and in elevation how the protruding ends of the weft threads are displaced to and fro between the crushing disc and the hard roller.

'FIG. 6 is a side view illustrating another embodiment of this invention.

FIG. 7 is a plan view corresponding to FIG. 6.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, reference numeral 1 designates the warp threads which form the sheds through which the thread adapted to form the successive wefts of the fabric is inserted from a stationary supply by an appropriate weft-inserting member (not illustrated), such as a needle movable across the loom. The wefts are beaten up by the conventional reed 2 so as to form the fabric 3 which advances at a very slow speed towards the usual taking-up beam provided in the front of the loom, as indi- 3,1982 l6 Patented Aug. 3, 1965 weft extends somewhat beyond the edge of the fabric and there is thus formed along the said edge a generally irregular fringe 5. This fringe is to be cut at a small distance from the edge.

For this purpose there is provided on the side of the fabric 3 .a disc 6 having a chamfered periphery which defines an edge 6a (FIG. 5) with a rounded cross-section of very small radius which actually behaves as a flat cylindrical surface of very small width. This disc 6 i rotatably mounted on a pin '7 (FIG. 2) carried by a lever 8 pivoted on a transverse bar 9 (FIGS. 1 and 2) which is disposed below the fabric 3. The lever 3 is biassed by a strong spring 10 in such manner as to apply the disc 6 against a lower roller 11 keyed on a shaft 12, the latter being rotatable by two bearings 13 and 13a (FIG. 1). Bearing 13 has been omitted in FIG. 2 in order not to overcrowd the drawing. This roller 11 has a high superficial hardness. For instance it may be made of heattreated hardened steel. On the shaft 12 is also keyed a radially extending arm 14 to the free end of which is piv otally attached, as at 15, a rod or link 16 which is vertically reciprocated by the mechanism of the loom, as for instance by means of an eccentric such as 30 mounted on a shaft 31 thereof.

In operation the roller 11 oscillates angularly under the action of the link 16 and it frictionally imparts a similar motion to the disc 6 which is pressed against its periphery by the biassing spring 10. As the fabric 3 advances very slowly towards the front end of the loom, the protruding ends which constitute the fringe 5 successively reach the zone of the rolling contact between the disc 6 and the roller 11. When the latter rotates counterclockwise in FIG. 2, the thread ends situated in this zone (position A, FIG. 5) are caught and crushed between the edge of the disc and the peripheral surface of the roller, and they are pushed towards the front end of the loom, i.e. towards the left in FIGS. 2, 4 and 5 (position B, FIG. 5). During the angular stroke of the roller in the reverse direction, these threads ends (if they have not yet been severed) tend to return backward owing to their inherent resiliency, and they are therefore again caught and crushed between the disc and the roller, and so on until. they ar fully severed by these successive cr-ushings'. The severed ends are eliminated by suction in the conventional manner, as for instance by means of a suction nozzle 17, FIG. 1, while the residual ends, i.e. the portion of each individual thread which is still attached to the fabric, are allowed to pass freely between the said edge and the disc, together with the fabric 3 itself on which they form a quite regular fringe 5', FIG. 1, of quite reduced length.

FIG. 3 clearly illustrates the operation. At the first passage of a weft thread end 18 between the disc 6 and the roller 11, the thin edge 6a penetrates into the. thread which is wholly or, more generally, partly severed. In the latter case the thread 18 again passes between the disc and the roller and is therefore again crushed between them, .and so on. In the course of these successive to and fro movements, the edge 61: of cour e passes several times on the same point of the thread and thus finally severs it.

The length of the fringe 5' is of course dependent of the distance between the edge of the disc 6 and the edge of the fabric. This distance may be made quite small, the limit being that when the thread ends are displaced by the disc and the roller, they are pulled with respect to the fabric and that when the disc is too close to the latter, the angle of obliquity may become such as to cause deformation of the marginal zone of the fabric.

Owing to the superficial hardness of the roller 11 and to the width of the edge 6a of the disc, the periphery of the roller is not scratched. The blunt edge of the disc does not wear in a noticeable manner and the whole device need not be revised apart from the general revisions of the loom.

In the embodiment of FIGS; 6 and 7 the pivot 9 of the lever 8 which carrie the crushing disc 6 is supported by an arm 19 keyed on a transverse shaft 219 rotatably carried by the loom frame. On this shaft is also keyed the above-mentioned arm 14 actuated by the link 16. The disc 6 is applied by the spring 10 against a stationary horizontal table 21 on which passes the edge of the advancing fabric. This table has a high superficial hardness.

In operation the arm 19 oscillates together with the shaft 20, and the disc 6 rolls on the table 21 in one and the other direction, while catching and crushing the thread ends on its way, in such manner that these ends are finally severed at the appropriate distance from the edge of the fabric.

In this second embodiment the thread ends which form the fringe are no more alternately displaced towards the front and the back of the loom as in the preceding embodiment. On the contrary they are free to advance with the fabric 3, except that they are momentarily stopped during the passage of the disc 'by being caught between the latter and the stationary table. But the duration of this stoppage of the advance of each thread end is absolutely negligible with respect to the quite low advancing speed of the fabric 3 and therefore nothing prevents from disposing the crushing edge 6a quite close to the edge of the fabric (FIG. 7) in order to realize a residual fringe 5 of negligible length. Experience besides demonstrates that owing to its chanrfered cross-section, the disc 6 thrusts aside the edge of the fabric and is not therefore liable to damage the latter.

Means may be provided, if desired, to rotate positively the crushing disc 6, as for instance by means of pinions which connect it with the shaft 12 in FIGS. 1 and 2, or by means of a pinion and of a stationary rack in the embodiment of FIGS. 6 and 7. It is further possible to provide means to compel the crushing disc 6 (and/or the roller 11 in the case of FIGS. 1 and 2) to rotate progressively on itself in a predetermined direction so as to ensure that the wear is uniformly distributed along the whole periphery of the disc (and/or of the roller) during the period of operation.

We claim:

1. In a loom for fabric having successive wefts in which some at least of the successive wefts have end portions which project laterally along one edge of the fabric which advances through the loom, a device for severing said portions of said wefts along said one edge, said device comprising a roller having a geometrical axis and a periphery formed as a hard substantially cylindrical surface, said roller being rotatably carried by said loom with its axis substantially perpendicular to the direction of advance of said fabric through the loom and being so disposed on said loom that the portions of said wefts to be severed pass substantially thereon during the advance of said fabric through the loom; a rota-tably supported disc having a geometrical axis and a periphery in the form of an edge of small width, with the axis of said disc parallel to the axis of said roller, said disc being disposed close to said one edge of said fab-ric and at such a position on said loom that said portions of said wefts tend to pas between said edge of said disc and said roller during the advance of said fabric through the loom; means to resiliently press said edge of said disc against said roller, said disc and said roller thu forming a frictionally coupled unit; and means to oscillate said frictionally coupled unit to cause said portions of said wefts to be repeatedly caught and crushed between the hard surface of said roller and said edge of said disc until they are severed at a small distance from said one edge of said fabric.

2. In a loom for fabric having successive wefts in which some at least of the successive weft have end portions which project laterally along one edge of the fabric which advances through the loom, a device for severing said portions of said wefts along said one edge, said device comprising a substantially fiat stationary table having a hard surface, said table being supported by said loom with its hard surface substantially parallel to said fabric and at such a position that the portion of said wefts to be severed pass substantially on said hard surface during the advance of said fabric on said loom; a disc having a geometrical axis and a periphery in the form of an edge of small width to roll on said table close to said one edge of said fabric; means to rotatably support said disc with its axis substantially perependicular to the direction of advance of said fabric on said loom; means to resiliently press said disc against said table; and means to reciprocate said disc-supporting means along a direction substantially parallel to the di-' tween the hard surface of said table and the said edge of said disc until they are severed at a small distance from said one edge of said fabric.

3. In a loorn for fabric having successive wefts in which some at least of the successive wefts have end portions which project laterally along one edge of the fabric which advances through the loom, a device for severing said portions of said wefts along said one edge of said fabric, said device comprising a hard surface disposed adjacent said one edge of said fabric; a rotatable disc having a geometrical axis and a periphery in the form of .an edge of small width, the axis of said disc being substantially perpendicular to the direction of advance of said fabric through said loom; means to resiliently press said edge of said disc against said hard surface at a small distance from said one edge of said fabric; and means to cause said portions of said wefts to alternately and repeatedly pass in one direction and in the other between said hard surface and said edge of said disc so as to be crushed by said edge of said disc until they are fully severed,

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,909,016 5/33 Schulz 28l.2

2,080,784 5/37 Pool 139-302 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,237,767 6/60 France.

DONALD W. PARKER, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A LOOM FOR FABRIC HAVING SUCCESSIVE WEFTS IN WHICH SOME AT LEAST OF THE SUCCESSIVE WEFTS HAVE END PORTIONS WHICH PROJECT LATERALLY ALONG ONE EDGE OF THE FABRIC WHICH ADVANCES THROUGH THE LOOM, A DEVICE FOR SEVERING SAID PORTIONS OF SAID WEFTS ALONG SAID ONE EDGE, SAID DEVICE COMPRISING A ROLLER HAVING A GEOMETRICAL AXIS AND A PERIPHERY FORMED AS A HARD SUBSTANTIALLY CYLINDRICAL SURFACE, SAID ROLLER BEING ROTATABLY CARRIED BY SAID LOOM WITH ITS AXIS SUBSTANTIALLY PERPENDICULAR TO THE DIRECTION OF ADVANCE OF SAID FABRIC THROUGH THE LOOM AND BEING SO DISPOSED ON SAID LOOM THAT THE PORTIONS OF SAID WEFTS TO BE SERVED PASS SUBSTANTIALLY THEREON DURING THE ADVANCE OF SAID FABRIC THROUGH THE LOOM; A ROTATABLY SUPPORTED DISC HAVING A GEOMETRICAL AXIS AND A PERIPHERY IN THE FORM OF AN EDGE OF SMALL WIDTH, WITH THE AXIS OF SAID DISC PARALLEL TO THE AXIS OF SAID ROLLER, SAID DISC BEING DISPOSED CLOSE TO SAID ONE EDGE OF SAID FABRIC AND AT SUCH A POSITION ON SAID LOOM THAT SAID PORTIONS OF SAID WEFTS TEND TO PASS BETWEEN SAID EDGE OF SAID DISC AND SAID ROLLER DURING THE ADVANCE OF SAID FABRIC THROUGH THE LOOM; MEANS TO RESILIENTLY PRESS SAID EDGE OF SAID DISC AGAINST SAID ROLLER, SAID DISC AND SAID ROLLER THUS FORMING A FRICTIONALLY COUPLED UNIT; AND MEANS TO OSCILLATE SAID FRICTIONALLY COUPLED UNIT TO CAUSE SAID PORTIONS OF SAID WEFTS TO BE REPEATEDLY CAUGHT AND CRUSHED BETWEEN THE HARD SURFACE OF SAID ROLLER AND SAID EDGE OF SAID DISC UNTIL THEY ARE SERVED AT A SMALL DISTANCE FROM SAID ONE EDGE OF SAID FABRIC. 